8. How do closed primaries differ from open primaries?
9. What happens at a caucus?
10. How does federalism play a part in each state having different types of primary and caucus rules?
Democratic Party: 11 Why do Democratic delegates matter?
12. How do pledged delegates compare with Superdelegates? Which political party uses Superdelegates? 13. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Democratic party to use in dividing up candidate delegates?
Republican Party: 14. Why do Republican delegates matter?
15. How do pledged delegates differ from unpledged delegates?
16. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Republican party tend to use in dividing up candidate delegates?
VI. **Party Conventions** 17. What major decision is formally announced at a party’s national convention?
18. How have the roles of party conventions changed through history?
Directions: Use the following website (procon.org) to answer the following questions about the presidential election process.
I. **Meet Eligibility Guidelines Set by the US Constitution**
1. List the formal (constitutional) requirements to be President and Vice President.
II. **Test the Water: Pre-Candidacy Process**
2. Identify the purposes of a candidate’s exploratory committee.
III. **Declare Candidacy & File Applications with Federal Election Commission (FEC)**
3. What threshold must a candidate meet in order to register with the FEC?
4. Why does raising a large amount of money illustrate a candidate is a “serious contender”?
IV. **Fundraise and Campaign**
5. In what ways does the US presidential election system emphasize the importance of popular participation?
6. What types of actions does a candidate do during the campaign process?
V. Party **Primaries,****Caucuses**, and **Delegates**
7. What is the main purpose of a primary election?
8. How do closed primaries differ from open primaries?
9. What happens at a caucus?
10. How does federalism play a part in each state having different types of primary and caucus rules?
Democratic Party:
11 Why do Democratic delegates matter?
12. How do pledged delegates compare with Superdelegates? Which political party uses Superdelegates?
13. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Democratic party to use in dividing up candidate delegates?
Republican Party:
14. Why do Republican delegates matter?
15. How do pledged delegates differ from unpledged delegates?
16. What type of delegate apportioning system does the Republican party tend to use in dividing up candidate delegates?
VI. **Party Conventions**
17. What major decision is formally announced at a party’s national convention?
18. How have the roles of party conventions changed through history?
VII. **General Election Campaign: The Final Candidates**
19. What types of strategic changes does a candidate make during the general election campaign?
20. Why does a candidate usually “shift to the center” during the general election campaign?
21. List the types of campaign activities a candidate (and their staff/supporters) are performing during this stage.
VIII: **Election Day: Winning the Popular and Electoral Votes**
22. What factor determines the amount of electoral votes a state receives?
23. Who/what are voters actually choosing when they select a presidential ticket (president & vice president)?
24. What factor determines how a ticket wins a state’s electoral votes in 48 of the 50 states?
25. How many electoral votes does a presidential ticket need to win? What happens if no ticket wins the minimum amount of electoral votes?